Last time I saw him he showed me this stash of like a hundred bolts - he was going to put up some route on something volcanic he said. I take that back I saw him once after - he said they bailed low on the project, rock too loose.

Blaine is still fit as ever, Dingus. We went up to The Cookie last weekend and he was a machine. MiniTraxed Outer Limits, HARDD (sp?), Twilight Zone, Crack-A-GoGo, Red Zinger a couple of times, America's Cup a few times, and both pitches of Meat Grinder. Yep, a machine. Great guy.

He was probably headed out to Little Table Mountain with those bolts... I've only climbed there a couple of time; under the blackness of the night. Mountain biked from the park-and-ride to the huge boulder in the saddle on the very north end of the table, right on the 145, headed over to Friant. All stealth-like. Bummer that place is closed and I missed the time period when it was open. I can't imagine having good climbing 15 minutes from my door here. I know there have been attempts, even recent, I believe, to get it opened back up.

Kev wrote: Since then I have found the 30-40 minute approach from below. Much more pleasant...

Dave Daly and I put some serious time into that approach on the way to put in a new line we called 'intrepid voyage' ~600 ft. 5.10a not alot of fixed pro. it still needs some work on the section just before you drop into the creek. If i've given you a topo of any routes i've put in, no doubt you have read the admonition to climb with a pair of pruning shears to help keep the area's approaches not insanely bad. 30 minutes on the way up or down will really help keep the brush back y'all.

My first time out to that dome we ended up bush whacking for hours, to get to a seriously classic route and ended up walking out in the dark. What a great time!!!

Nef. wrote: Bummer that place is closed and I missed the time period when it was open. I can't imagine having good climbing 15 minutes from my door here.

There's a new area with a few estd. routes that i helped get going we're calling the Mesa. Locale unannouceable at this point due to access issues but it's a great winter destination ~20 minutes up old auberry road from fresno. Very similar rock to Jailhouse with beautiful wildflower strewn approaches. Also covered in those big black tarantulas, a bit of poison oak here and there but not as bad as the grotto/jailhouse/gold wall, deer grazing on top of the table in the evening, yes there are a few rattlers here and there, and theres a hawk floating around as well. I can put anyone in touch with local FAers if needed as i'm not in the area anymore. approach is about an hour from the car.

I have an idea of where you're talking about, horse. I went up there a number of years ago with Carlos Daniels and this wanker dude, Alex, and someone from the group that owns it. They were considering opening it for climbing. Looked to be some pretty decent rock up there Particularly in a caveish area, and a lot of bad rock too. I remember pulling down plenty of microwave-sized blocks while putting up a couple of routes... Not sure what ever happened with the whole thing, as I just went on a couple of days to check it out and do some climbing. The hike in was actually pretty pleasant.

well there's like 10 routes in right now. A few up a serious 40-50' roof called the Matrix Roof all 12's and 13's very similar to an area I climbed at in Utah (in the Uintas range.) and a few moderates.

DMT, Munge,
Snake Crack on Squaw Dome is a moderate gem, IMHO. It's done in 3 long pitches, not the 5 or so as shown on the topo. Prepare to bushwhack if you don't find the right approach road from the south.

Speaking of Squaw, if anyone knows the author of the 5.10 slab pitch just to the right of Snake Crack, I'd love to know.

Last year I was heading to sqaw and discovered that the forest disservice had done stealth road closures. While a road closure plan it was up for public review they bulldozed up berms and dropped trees so you can't drive up to that gravel parking/camping area anymore.